1. Technical Field
This invention relates to rolled transparent adhesive media, and more specifically to rolled transparent tape such as packaging tape and mailing tape. Particularly, the invention is a plurality of windings of transparent pressure-sensitive tape rolled around a core with a non-transparent divider placed midway between the core and the outermost winding of tape such that the transparent tape is clear to the divider.
2. Background Information
Pressure-sensitive media such as transparent tape have been readily available for decades for a variety of different uses. One of the common uses of transparent tape is to seal envelopes, boxes, cartons, or packages to be mailed or otherwise delivered.
Two types of commonly used pressure-sensitive tape for these purposes are mailing tape and packaging tape. In general, there is no difference in the end or final use of mailing tape versus packaging tape. It has however become common practice to refer to smaller rolls of pressure sensitive tape as mailing tape and larger rolls as packaging tape. Typically, the smaller rolls are many layers of rolled transparent pressure-sensitive tape wrapped around a 1xc2xd inch diameter center core, while the larger rolls are many layers of rolled pressure-sensitive transparent tape wrapped around a 3 inch diameter center core.
This common practice has developed because consumers prefer pressure-sensitive tape rolls that are clear to the core and sufficient quantities of mailing tape to satisfy consumer demand may be rolled onto a smaller roll while the quantities of packaging tape expected are greater and must be rolled into a larger roll to maintain clarity. The reason for this preference is the perception that this clear to the core tape is of a higher quality. However, due to optical characteristics of the materials used to manufacture transparent tape, each winding by itself is optically clear; however after a certain number of windings onto a roll, each additional winding on the roll reduces the clarity and eventually clouds the optical path from the outermost winding or layer to the core. This is specifically due to a change in the reflective index as more and more layers are added.
As a result, there is a limit to the number of windings that is acceptable due to a loss of clarity with each winding and the consumer threshold on clarity. The reason for this is that consumers desire to use transparent tape for a variety of reasons such as to seal envelopes, boxes, cartons, or packages to be mailed or otherwise delivered whereby typically the transparent tape is placed over instructions, addresses, or other information on the envelope, box, carton or package which it is desirable to clearly view. A cloudy roll gives the perception that the tape when un-wound into individual layers or strips will be cloudy and thus unacceptable.
In typical industry grade transparent tapes, it has been found and is thus an industry standard that approximately 800 inches of length of a transparent tape wrapped or wound around a 1xc2xd inch core maintains consumer desirable levels of clarity. Where longer lengths of tape are desired to eliminate the need to refill a tape dispenser, it has been found that to maintain approximately the same level of clarity, that a 3 inch core will allow for approximately 2000 inches of length of the same typical industry grade transparent tape to be wrapped or wound therearound. In effect, the same 2000 inches of tape when wrapped on a 3 inch core is clear to its core while cloudy on 1xc2xd inch core; however if the length of tape is reduced to approximately 800 inches the tape becomes clear to the core on a 1xc2xd inch core.
Therefore, the need exists for an improved transparent tape or solution that allows more windings of tape on a given core diameter to satisfy the consumer need for more tape per roll while also providing at least the appearance of a clear roll of tape to a core or surface on which graphics, text, directions, instructions, advertisements, trademarks, warranties, limitations, or other information is provided.
The invention is a pressure-sensitive transparent tape, for packaging or mailing, that includes a flexible transparent member and a flexible non-transparent divider. The flexible transparent member has a length greater than its width and is adapted to be wound on a core so as to define a plurality of windings including an innermost winding around the core, an outermost winding and at least one intermediate winding therebetween. The flexible non-transparent divider is positioned in between the innermost and outermost windings.
The invention is also a method of manufacturing this tape where the method includes unwinding a first section from a flexible transparent material of a first width and first length from a master roll where the flexible transparent material includes a top surface and a bottom surface, and at least a portion of the bottom surface of the flexible transparent material having an adhesive applied thereto, winding the flexible transparent material from the master roll onto an elongated core to define an intermediate roll having a plurality of windings including an innermost winding adjacent the elongated core and a plurality of additional windings, and inserting a non-transparent divider at a desired position along the first section after unwinding of the first section from the master roll and prior to the winding of the flexible transparent material onto the elongated core defining the intermediate roll.